The grand dining hall was quiet, save for the occasional clink of silverware and the rustling of clothing as the three of them took their seats at the long, polished table.
Before them was a feast worthy of royalty.
Roasted meats glistened under golden lighting, surrounded by bowls of seasoned rice, stacked loaves of warm bread, and fresh fruits arranged in a delicate spiral. There were pitchers of iced juices, sauces in silver trays, and even desserts placed as centrepieces.
Shirou stared blankly at the overwhelming display.
"Who's going to eat all this?" he thought. "I'm hungry, sure… but this? This is way too much."
Just then, a voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Shirou," Lucus said, seated at the far end, his tone calm and composed. "Before we begin, I'd like to apologise to you."
Shirou blinked and tilted his head. "Apologise? For what?"
Lucus leaned forward slightly, folding his hands over the table. "For not revealing the exact location of the storage room. If I had told you, the three of you could've made a more effective plan. I truly believed Kane hadn't discovered it yet, and I didn't want to risk the information falling into the wrong hands. But in the end, you got hurt… and part of that is my fault."
Shirou shook his head. "No, it's fine. We get why you kept it secret. Honestly, not revealing it might've been the better choice. Not everyone can be trusted. And with what happened, you should probably move the storage altogether."
Lucus raised an eyebrow. "Already working on it. But I'm curious… how did you figure out where it was?"
Shirou gave a small smile. "It was just a guess. The first attack came from three sides—east, west, and south. But they left the northern side untouched. That felt off. And the second attack? It was a full-force assault focused only on the southern area. It felt like they were intentionally keeping us away from the north."
He paused, tapping a finger against the table.
"Add Kane's sudden disappearance to that, and it got me suspicious. I connected the dots, but… I wasn't certain. It was just a hunch."
Lucus gave an impressed nod. "Still, that's pretty sharp of you."
He smiled, leaning back in his chair. "Well then… shall we eat? You must be starving."
"You have no idea," Shirou muttered as he reached for a plate.
The first bite hit like a spark of joy. The meat was tender and flavorful, the spices perfect, and the rice fluffy. Even the vegetables tasted better than anything he'd eaten in a while.
He leaned back in his chair, patting his stomach. "Now that's what I'm talking about."
The others chuckled. After eating their fill and sharing light conversation with Lucus and Darwin—mostly about the mansion's damage and plans for rebuilding—the trio decided to take a short walk outside.
Shirou stepped onto the field behind the mansion and sighed. "This place is a mess…"
"You think this is bad?" Amelia said as she joined him. "You should check the northern side."
Shirou turned—and his jaw dropped.
The once lush northern field was unrecognisable. The trees were gone, either reduced to blackened stumps or completely vaporised. Patches of scorched earth spread in all directions, and a giant crater sat in the middle of it all. Deep cracks ran through the soil like veins, as if the land itself had suffered.
"It's like a wasteland," Shirou murmured.
"Well, yeah. What did you expect?" Amelia replied with a shrug. "With the kind of fight that took place here, this much damage is normal."
"But this is nothing," she added. "Lucus is rich. He'll have it cleaned up and restored in no time."
"She's right," Elliot chimed in as he approached from behind. "He hasn't started repairs yet because the storage still needs to be relocated. There's no point rebuilding when there's still valuable cargo hidden nearby."
Shirou nodded. "That makes sense. And on top of that, with his daughter's birthday coming up, I'm guessing he wants everything perfect before the guests arrive."
"Exactly," Elliot said. "And from the looks of it, this party's going to be massive."
"I can't wait to see it," Amelia added, a bit of excitement in her voice.
Shirou turned to her with a smirk. "Well, well. Aren't you a little too excited?"
"Hmph." Amelia looked away, crossing her arms.
"Come on," Shirou said, half-laughing. "I already apologised. What more am I supposed to do?"
Amelia didn't answer right away.
Then she said, "Maybe go fight some more? Oh wait—this time, challenge someone at the Sage level. Better yet, why not go knock on the king's door and ask him for a duel?"
Before Shirou could respond, she spun on her heel and stormed off.
Shirou let out a sigh and scratched his head. "Okay… still mad."
"Don't take it personally," Elliot said, patting him on the back. "She's not really angry—well, she is. But more than that, she's worried about you."
Shirou looked at Elliot, eyebrows raised.
"She really cares about the people close to her," Elliot continued. "If I had been the one who rushed in and nearly died, she'd be chewing me out the same way. Actually, she has. On our last mission, I took a risky move, and she didn't stop yelling at me till we were back at the organisation.
Shirou turned to look at Amelia, now a small silhouette in the distance, her back to them.
Elliot's voice softened.
"I don't know if she told you this, but… Amelia lost her real parents when she was young. She was adopted afterwards."
"She did tell me," Shirou said quietly. "That day at the festival."
Elliot's eyes widened slightly, then he smiled. "Wow. She really trusts you, then. That's not something she shares easily."
He took a breath and added, "She's not afraid of death, Shirou. She's afraid of losing the people she cares about. That's where all this anger is coming from."
"I get it," Shirou said, his voice calm. "She's right to be mad. I was reckless. I thought I could handle it on my own… but I nearly got myself killed. And I put both of you at risk."
Elliot gave a nod of understanding, then turned to walk away. After a few steps, he paused and glanced back.
"You know… while you were unconscious, she stayed by your side. The whole time. For nearly a day and a half. I had to drag her out of the room and practically force her to get some rest."
He looked Shirou straight in the eye.
"She told me not to tell you. So let's just keep that between us, alright?"
Shirou smiled faintly. "Yeah… got it."
With that, Elliot walked away.
Shirou stood there for a moment, thinking. Then he turned and walked toward the front of the mansion.
There, near a garden patch, Amelia was standing by herself. She was lightly brushing her fingers across the leaves of a flowering plant, occasionally pausing to pluck a withered one.
Shirou took a breath and walked toward her, ready to speak.
But before he could say a word, the front gates creaked open.
Both of them turned to see a luxurious caravan rolling into the mansion's entrance. Its frame was polished and pristine, with golden patterns lining the edges and detailed symbols etched across the sides. Even from a distance, it was clear—it was expensive.
The caravan came to a stop at the main steps, and Lucus himself emerged from the mansion just as the door opened.
From inside stepped a young girl, probably around eighteen. She had soft brown hair that flowed neatly past her shoulders, fair skin, and a richly embroidered dress that shimmered slightly under the sunlight.
The moment she saw Lucus, her face lit up.
"Father!"
She rushed forward and threw her arms around him in a tight hug. Lucus smiled warmly and embraced her.
After a few seconds, she let go.
Lucus turned toward Shirou and Amelia
"This is your first time seeing her, isn't it?" he said proudly. "This is my daughter, Lisa."